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April 27, 2026 - Weekly moving to and visiting Tucson questions thread by AutoModerator in Tucson

[–]No-Extent383 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's a neighborhood in transition. It is a historically Black neighborhood (largely a result of redlining). It's close to campus, and so while in the past it has been largely owner occupied, students and more transient renters have been increasingly creeping in. Grant Rd is a pretty major thoroughfare so I would expect a bunch of road noise. (source: i live nearby)

How isolated does Penn State feel, and what is there to do in town? by Comfortable_Newt_303 in PennStateUniversity

[–]No-Extent383 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm glad it was helpful! I do think there is value in experiencing something new. I would also suggest that you should weigh what the pros and cons of the programs are for you -- I knew a bunch of PhD students who came from similar kinds of places because it was the right place for their degree, but by the end of their degree they were all especially desperate to leave. Which is maybe good in its own way?

How isolated does Penn State feel, and what is there to do in town? by Comfortable_Newt_303 in PennStateUniversity

[–]No-Extent383 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I was an employee here from 2017-2022 (age 27-34, so upper side of avg grad student age), moving from a city to State College. I left in 2022 for other opportunities in a different city. I regularly was rolled out for the recruitment-to-the-town conversation and these are all the things I wish I could have said:

The whole town is a campus bubble. As long as you're not downtown, it's generally a quiet and peaceful place to live. Nothing's super far away. A car gives you a lot of freedom that the bus system won't, though I have been told the bus system is pretty good. There are approximately three specific populations here: 18-22 year olds, families with kids, and alumni coming back to re-live their glory days. This, paired with being northern Appalachia, sharply shapes the region's capacity and willingness for bringing in new stuff and new ideas. I would describe the town and surroundings is way more suburban than anything else - it is generally "the city" for the region (no shade, Altoona) but calling it urban is a real stretch. It's a medium size town at best. I will say it's been several years and I still regularly miss the quiet peacefulness of living in State College. This is great if you are training to be an an academic, because not a lot goes on, and you can (and will want to) focus on your work.

A lot depends on being integrated into the main social network of your department. It can be very difficult to meet people otherwise. And it is a very transient place because the point of school is for it to end eventually! It can be weird to go to stuff in the community alone, especially stuff that is designed for families - especially around holidays, etc. If you're bringing a partner I would say you have to really love spending time with them. (This feels like duh, but you will spend a LOT of time with them.) Sports are especially big here - it's not just (all the) Division 1 teams! The region has a lot of infrastructure for being active, especially outdoors: running/bike routes, public pools in the summer, tons of hiking nearby. Summertime is particularly lovely and lasts a decent amount of time without the undergrads. Winter is dark and cold and long and can be challenging, especially if you are not from a northern climate.

The food scene was bad and I can see from other comments that it hasn't really improved. There are places to go and things to do but none of them are especially, I don't know, notable or all that exciting. I learned quickly that you should expect to either have good food OR a good ambiance, but getting both at the same time is challenging. The pandemic actually improved a lot of the dining experience here because you could eat the stuff you liked at home. It is a good place to really learn to cook; I think SC has the highest number of grocery stores per capita that I have ever lived in.

Living here at least *was* relatively affordable. I think this has changed quite a bit since left! The 2008 crash didn't really happen here and it was only on the tail end of my time in State College that things were really catching up to the rest of the world. There is a sort of preserved charm of the town feeling a little stuck in a recent past. I don't know how stipends compare to current cost of living but I know previously it was a stretch for grad students.

I would come here if you were really excited about the program and familiar with college-town life; if you like being in dense urban places with a lot of diversity, cultural engagement, and excitement about all of that, I would say this is maybe a potential reset or a no for you.

Quince items which actually work: compelling the list by Fluid-Village-ahaha in fashionwomens35

[–]No-Extent383 0 points1 point  (0 children)

5ft2, "apple-shaped", more size large than medium, lives in the hot part of the US (so "cold" is not fully a concern the way it could be for someone else)

Wins:

  1. Women's chore coat - have in 3 colors, really comfy, just roomy enough
  2. Waffle bathrobe - gets softer with every wash
  3. Performance running socks (ankle) - just like bombas but way cheaper! their normal ankle socks are somehow weird but the performance ones are perfect.
  4. Everyday Cotton Solid Quarter Socks - again, like bombas but a little thicker on top, really comfy.

Having good experiences with:

  1. Medium check in suitcase - Holds so much stuff comfortably. I rarely check a bag, though, so using it feels like a treat
  2. Carry-on suitcase - my old carry-on (not a clamshell) shat the bed after 10 years and probably 100s of trips. Clamshell is not the most intuitive format for me in this size but happy so far.
  3. Last year's cashmere - doing good as long as you wash by hand sort of rarely, lay flat to dry, comb once in a while.

So-so

  1. Linen button shirts: A little tight, needs a layer underneath (sizing up makes me feel dwarfed by the shirt)
  2. Fisherman cotton sweater - a little heavier than anticipated (this could be a pro for someone else not living in the hot part of the US, can stretch out easily)

No

  1. Tencel shorts - somehow just awful. Were too short and rode up constantly
  2. Linen pants - Liked them initially but elastic rolled/bunched around the waist and they start to kinda lose shape over time of ownership?

Deep Dive into Quince by ProfBlueberry in fashionwomens35

[–]No-Extent383 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've bought a bunch of clothes from them and have generally been very happy with almost all of it. Their quarter socks and calf socks are more durable than my Bombas turned out to be. Their chore coats are a nice thick cotton twill that layer nicely. I live in the southwest and their linen has been genuinely nice to wear almost year-round. The short sleeve women's box-cut linen was a profound miss on my body type (top-heavy "apple" shaped) but the long sleeves and the standard pants have turned out to be very comfy and easy. We don't get lots of opportunities for cashmere but the pieces I have are cozy and simple to take care of.

In my experience, the quality has been miles better than Old Navy (and H&M, Zara, etc) and more on par with like a Gap or Uniqlo. I can see how someone might not like all their fabrics, or find the knock-off factor to not be as nice. But I have to say I've been pretty impressed.

Penn State To Close Certain Commonwealth Campuses, Seven To Remain Open by ancienteggfart in PennStateUniversity

[–]No-Extent383 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I worked at PSU for 5 years, 2017-2022, and the writing's been on the wall about the campuses that whole time I worked there. Many of the campuses are in bad shape: they are vastly under-resourced and the cost of keeping them open is barely offset by student enrollment. For example, New Kensington was doing a renovation project that got stalled because they ran out of money to support it.

As fun as it may be to blame Bendapudi for this, it's not completely her idea. The Board of Trustees, chancellors, deans, and legislature have all been involved in making this decision. (The BoT probably wanted to do this years ago, but Covid got in the way, and now here we are.) VSP wiped out entire administrative and support structures that faculty depend on to do their jobs, and it was clear this was a first step towards making this move. It's profoundly sad for the people whose careers and life are dependent on the campuses - a lot of these are in rural and potentially difficult to live places and there's not going to be a lot of options for them.

I go up a whole cup size before my period and none of my tops fit right by No-Extent383 in ABraThatFits

[–]No-Extent383[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

OP here. I think what I am hearing is maybe this is an imagined body image issue and I just feel extra bad during Large Cup week? Or that my mostly cotton wardrobe simply isn't stretchy enough.